True Love is Never Ugly
by The Angry Lioness
Summary: He was a man enslaved by a curse. She was a women looking for something exciting. When Ariadne sees the monster, she ran. But the next day, she came back to find her best friend.
1. Act I

Being unmarried and childless at the age of twenty-four never bothered Ariadne. To her, marriage came last on the agenda. She was currently dating an alumnus from her school. His name was Nash. They have been together for a few years and Ariadne has been growing tired of him.

Every day, she followed the same routine: In the morning, she'd go over to the Parisian Café for coffee and to read a book. At all times she had a romance novel on her that she would read and drink espressos at the same time. The café was always quiet, giving her time to relax before work. Nash would usually come sit down.

As she went to architecture school three times a week, she also had a job. To keep her apartment, she worked as a maid for a nice hotel part-time. After class, she would get as much homework done as possible in the two hours she had free before driving over to the hotel to work six hours.

On weekends, she would go out with her friend Jules to see the Paris Rollergirls. Her sisters back in the States played derby and since Ariadne could never make it to their bouts, she went to the one's in Paris and always enjoyed them.

It was Friday, a typical day, when Ariadne left her apartment for coffee. She was wearing her typical outfit consisting of a solid colored t-shirt, jeans, red jacket and one of her many scarves. In her bag was a copy of _Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_.

What she loved about the café was how calm it was. Not like in America where a regular Starbucks is crammed with chatty people, plus the coffee was so much better. Ariadne sat outside with her espresso and opened up her book. In the middle of chapter one, she heard somebody stand by her and kiss her cheek.

"Hello Nash."

The truth was that he was jealous and secretly thought she was better than him. He also really wanted to ask for her hand for a while and bought the ring already.

"Your always reading, aren't you?" he asked, taking the book from her hand. "_Pride and Prejudice and Zombies_?"

"Yeah."

"Really, I mean what's with this big zombie thing? First the vampires and werewolves, but now this?"

"This was the only book available at the store next to _Twilight_." Said Ariadne taking the book back.

"How many scarves do you even have?" He asked changing the subject.

"A lot." Her eyes went back to her book.

"How would you like to see the new building I designed that was just finished?" He asked confidently. "I'll buy you lunch."

"I've already seen it." Ariadne replied without her eyes leaving the page. "And that's nice to offer but I'll have to say no."

"Then how about we go somewhere after the next derby?"

"I can't."

"Your really hooked on that book, aren't you?" he asked. "Don't you ever wish you were Maryanne?"

"Excuse me?"

"The woman in the book."

"That's _Sense and Sensitivity_." Ariadne corrected. "The heroine in this one is Elizabeth Bennett."

"Right." Nash hid his embarrassment.

Ariadne chuckled and shook her head. She gathered her stuff and stood up. In the distance, she could hear his friend snickering at the fact that she was mistreating him.

She had to see Professor Miles in fifteen minutes, so Ariadne walked off if the direction of the school. Her eyes were on the book as she reached the bridge.

"Damn, that girl is hard to get to." Said Bernie, a friend of Nash's who was in Ariadne's class. "Maybe you should give up."

"Not on this one." Nash sneered. "Now go follow her."

Ariadne walked into Miles's classroom with the keys he gave her to see him sitting on his desk. A frown coated his face as he looked down at a picture in his hand. "I thought about the building I wanted to do a virtual tour of."

"They're still missing." He said sadly. "James, Philipa, and Dom."

Ariadne sighed as she approached his desk. "I'm sorry. I hope they are found."

"Me too." Miles sighed. "They're the only family I have left, besides the Mrs."

"They'll turn up." She said. Ariadne felt bad for Miles. Since last Christmas, Miles's family vanished in thin air and he failed to find them. For some odd reason, he refused to call the police and in the end, never did. He didn't want them involved with his life only to have himself accused of kidnapping them. Ariadne wanted him to get his mind off it for a bit. "Weren't they associated with Nash?"

Miles sat up. "Your right. I could ask him if he's seen them."

"He won't tell you for free." Said Ariadne. "He knows I'm associated with you."

"Has Nash been bothering you?"

"I wouldn't say bothering." She told him. "He's my boyfriend so he flirts with me all the time, which is normal. I'm just really sick of it. I've been trying to hint him, but Nash never get's a clue."

"Well that's understandable." Said Miles. "After all, you have grown into a beautiful young woman."

Ariadne sighed. "Truth be told, he creeps me out now."

"How so?"

"He looks at me like I'm the girl he wants to marry."

"Well maybe he really thinks that."

"I have no feelings for him anymore." Ariadne snorted. "He's self-centered, he's rude… I think he's only looking for sex anyway."

"Some boys never become men."

"Next time you see him, will you tell him to leave me alone?" she asked. "He doesn't seem to get the message from me."

"It's done. Now what building did you want to tour?"

"Well… this might sound a little crazy. Maybe it is."

"Well what is it?"

"You know that old chateau where the Bishop family used to live?"

Miles grew wide-eyed. "Ariadne, you're not thinking about going in there I hope!"

"Well why not? No one lives there, the doors probably open, and there are no laws in France forbidding me to stay out uninvited. Your acting like there's something dangerous in there."

Miles froze and sighed. "Ariadne, it's not a good idea." He stood up and put his hands on her shoulders.

"I'll be fine." She assured him. "I'll have my phone if something goes wrong." Miles nodded.

"It's just that… you're like a granddaughter to me. If something happened to you… I don't know what I'd do. Just do me a favor and don't go in that house."

Ariadne sighed. "Then I guess I'll choose another house to just floor plan."

She was almost ready to leave. Armed with a camera, she was finishing a pop before there was a knock on the door. Ariadne was slightly confused, wondering who would visit her at that hour. When she saw who it was through the peephole, she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"What is it Nash?" To her surprise, he was wearing a nice suit and had his hair fixed up. In his hand was a bouquet of roses.

"Today is your lucky day." He said.

"Save it for later, there's something going on. Did Miles call you?" When she looked back over, he was holding out a ring.

"What do you say?" he asked. "Would you?"

Ariadne's eyes widened in shock and she sighed. "Let me think about it. Do you know where Miles's grandkids and son-in-law went?"

"No. Why?"

"His family is missing and he says they know you."

"Well he didn't call me."

"If you have any important information then tell him!" she snapped, walking over to her car.

"Where are you going?"

"Away." Was all she said before stepping into the car and driving off.

Ten minutes after she left the city, her car pulled up over a circular driveway. Forgetting Miles's warning, she was going to tour the house anyway. He wasn't there to stop her. Grabbing her supplies, Ariadne stepped out of the car. She pulled the video camera out of her bag.

"Hey Eames, check this out." An Arabian accent called out. "We have a visitor."

"Finally." Eames replied jumping on the table and looking out the window. "She's cute too."

"She's not going to stay after she see's his face." Said the Arabian voice. "Believe me."

"Maybe not." Eames jumped off the table.

"Now where are you running to?"

"I'm telling Arthur!"

"Did I hear something about a girl?" another voice called out. "Yusuf?"

"She's coming in the house." Yusuf replied. "Oh no, this isn't good."

"What do you mean not good?"

"What if Arthur see's her, she runs away and tells someone, Cobb? We can get in trouble."

"No one would believe her." Said Cobb.

Ariadne turned the camera on and pointed the lens toward the cupid fountain.

"This is Ariadne Cavandar coming live from the Bishop Chateau. This house has been empty for years after the murders of the parents Michael and Mary Bishop. As you can see, this must have been a very cheerful house back in the day but now it looks like the Haunted Mansion." She zoomed in on the fountain. "As you can see, they have a fountain with cupids on the front but there's no water running." Ariadne ran her finger over the edge to see dust at the tip. "And it's terribly dusty. This place is so big I might not get into all the rooms! This house is known to have one window for each day of the year, one fireplace for each week and one turret per month. You could say it pretty much looks like a castle that Prince William and Kate Middleton would move into."

Ariadne approached the front doors and opened them. The doors slid open like they were for a saloon. "The front doors are taller than Notre Dames and look as if they are made of redwood. Now that I'm inside, I definitely see why people agree this house is nice. Or was nice. There are cobwebs everywhere. I'm just glad I don't have to clean this place."

There were two staircases in the entrance lobby leading to the same hallway in the back. An elevator was between both staircases. The room itself had brown couches, tall lamps and two nude statuettes.

"There's an elevator right there which I will not risk being trapped in." Ariadne took out her flashlight, feeling like one of the detectives from _Scooby Doo_. Slowly, she walked up the stairs, which creaked loudly. The creaking echoed through the halls. She was taken by surprise when she heard a soft 'meow' at her feet.

Ariadne looked down to see a blue-eyed ginger cat looking up at her. "It appears this house has been taken over by a cat, I assume there's more. It has no collar on. Obviously it's a stray." She walked on down the hallway. The ginger cat followed behind. "And it's following me…" Ariadne ignored the cat as she proceeded to walk toward the nearest room.

The cat ran forward and dashed across the hall to the room at the end. Ariadne cocked an eyebrow and decided to follow it. The worst that could happen is more cats, right?

The room at the end looked like the work of a tornado. Chairs were thrown to the sides, mirrors were carved into spider webs, and pictures on the wall were crooked. Ariadne focused the light on one picture, of a little boy in an equestrian uniform sitting on a white stallion. He looked to be around eight years old. "I don't remember which kid was which but I think that's Arthur Bishop…" she moved on to the next picture, showing the same boy in his teens. It was a formal portrait where he wore a tuxedo with his hair slicked down. "Wonder what happened to him…"

The something at the end of the room grabbed her attention. It glowed like a holy grail, sitting around like a red button that said 'Do not push'.

It was an hourglass. Not a small old fashioned one, but one that took up almost all the table space. The only other thing on the table was a red die with the two up. The hourglass had gold sand that shown like the sun. What was strange was that there was sand on the top, slowly coming down.

"Ok I'm done." She said to herself. "This tours over." Before she ran, Ariadne could feel someone behind her breathing deeply. "Shit!"

She took off as quickly as possible, like a rocket. The camera fell out of her hand as it continued to record. Whoever was breathing was heard coming closer. Ariadne continued to run, hoping to get to the car before whoever was there got to her.

As she got to the staircase, Ariadne looked to see if she could make out a face. Out of nowhere, she felt her body drop. She ended up rolling down the stairs and landing on the hard floor.

Ariadne lost the game, as the predator came over. His deep breathing made her heart race. Hot tears came out her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" the voice could have resembled Darth Vader.

"I'm sorry!" Ariadne struggled to sit up. "I didn't know anyone lived here!" The figure had her camera in his hands. He rewound the video to see his house being recorded. "It's a project for school, I'll erase it I promise!"

The man took her flashlight and turned it on to show his face. Ariadne opened her mouth to scream but his hand clamped over it. "Take one good look at this! See what you've done to yourself?"

Ariadne pulled his hand away. "Please don't hurt me." She said. "I came here alone. No one knows I'm here."

The man put the flashlight down and Ariadne sat up, taking it in her hand and shining it on his face. What she saw was startling.

He was wearing a black mask with a breathing tube around his nose and mouth and covering his neck, explaining his raspy voice. Attached to the right side and overlapping his eye was a monocle. The areas of his face she could see looked terribly scarred, like he was attacked by a lion. His hands were also infested with scars.

"I won't tell anyone anything." She vowed, backing away towards the front door. Arthur watched her as she disappeared.

That night, as Ariadne was driving home, she only felt guilt for leaving him. He didn't look like he was in any condition to be living alone. She couldn't sleep as thoughts raced through her mind.

Maybe that poor man was lonely. When she had the chance to leave, he didn't try to attack her. He stood where he was and watched her go. Ariadne sighed as the guilt began to eat her alive.

The next morning brought a sunny Saturday. Ariadne rose from her bed and got dressed. On a typical Saturday morning, she'd go running. Instead, she ran to the store and bought cleaning supplies and cat food. Then she got in her car and drove off.

She arrived to the chateau and walked in, immediately surrounded by darkness. "Hello!" she called out. "Sir!" Ariadne walked to the nearest window and thrashed the curtains apart to be spurted by dust. A sneeze echoed through the house.

"Who's there?" the raspy voice called out.

"It's just me!" said Ariadne. "You can come out!" she looked at the top of the stairs to see the man dressed in black pants and a button down shirt.

"Why did you come back?"

"I wanted to apologize." She began. "Last night-"

"No." he interrupted. "I owe you an apology. I didn't want to scare you."

"Scare me?" Ariadne shook her head. "It's not your face that scares me, it's the way you appeared out of nowhere and chased me."

"Well it was wrong Madam. And why would you want to apologize to me?"

"Because I did the wrong thing by running. You live here alone?" Arthur nodded. "And you sit around here when you know you have a breathing problem? That's not good."

"Well you can't erase the time I got attacked." Arthur sneered.

"But I can help you." She insisted. "You live alone in a house full of stray cats and it was wrong for me not to pay attention to that."

"Why do you care?"

"Why do I care? You're not the only lonely person in this room. I may have friends back at home but I still feel lonesome." The ginger cat from the night before skipped down the stairs and walked by Arthurs feet. "Let me help you." The cat scratched against Arthurs shoes and meowed.

"_Do it!"_ said Eames. _"She's here to help us!"_

Arthur stepped closer to Ariadne and noticed that she didn't move. She looked right into his eyes and waited for him to speak.

"Alright. But I have something to ask."

"What is it?"

"Could you try to come as often as possible?"

Ariadne was shocked at his question. As she was speaking to him before, he sounded like he didn't want her in his sight. In response, Ariadne smiled and nodded. "Yes. Whenever I'm free."

"And what is your name?"

"Ariadne."

"That's Latin for 'most holy' and the Goddess wife of Dionysus."

"You're the first person to point that out." She told him. "Not that many people know an Ariadne."

"I think it's a gorgeous name."

Ariadne found herself blushing at his complement.

"And yours?"

"Rex." He lied. He couldn't let her know about his true identity.

"Well, nice to meet you Rex. I guess I'll go get the cleaning supplies then."

Fifteen minutes later, she was dusting off the counters in the room wearing a white breathing mask as she did so from all the odors of the spray. Arthur watched from the top of the stairs. The sun leaking through the windows was not too common around the house. As she cleaned, more cats appeared on the couches. Ariadne wasn't too surprised to see them but wondered why they didn't come down at first like the ginger did.

Ariadne brought out the cans of cat food and they swarmed all over. Their tails swung in the air as they enjoyed their first meal they've had in a long time. She wondered how three adults and two kittens managed to survive without much to eat.

It was time to change the light bulbs on the chandelier after feeding the cats. Arthur told Ariadne where the ladder was and looked forward as she climbed the sky-high staircase. First, she dusted the chandelier then withdrew the light bulbs. As she climbed down to get the new light bulbs, the ginger cat secretly grinned and hit the light switch.

Arthur felt a little insecure watching her fifty feet in the air. Even if she did do it part-time, his stomach was in a knot. Ariadne prepared the first light bulb.

Sparks flew, literally as Ariadne screamed. The voltage traveled up her fingers down to her hands. Arthur ran over like a bolt as she let go and fell off the step. She was lucky he caught her. Ariadne was too distracted by her burnt hands to notice he was carrying her to the couch.

"Hold still, I'll be back." Ariadne watched him run and come back a second later with a bag of ice. "I'm terribly sorry for what happened, I hope your ok."

Ariadne took the bag of ice onto her palms. "I've been burnt many times before. I once spilled boiling water on my hand and I once got a steam burn."

"Well have you ever been literally shocked?"

"No."

"Tell me about yourself Ariadne." If she was going to do his favor for him, he had to give her reasons to soften up. Plus, deep conversations made pain go away.

"I'm an architecture student." She started.

"So what do you think of the house?"

"So, what I've seen is pretty amazing. It's not everyday I see a house with turrets."

"The people who lived here never come back. It was such a nice place."

"What was it like then?"

"There was a family with four children always running around, playing games in the secret rooms and riding horses in the back. Nowadays, it's used for my hideout. No one ever has the courage to come here."

"It's not really courage that motivated me to come in. It was curiosity. I always get curious and that sometimes gets me into trouble."

"Well… when most people see someone like me, they tell the police."

Ariadne shook her head. "All night, I sat in my apartment feeling so bad. Yesterday was a bit of a stressor."

"Mind telling me what happened?"

"No, I wouldn't. I've been dating this guy who graduated from the school I go to now and last night… he asked me to marry him." Arthur sighed. "I told him I'd think about it, but the truth is, I've been trying to tell him that I've lost interest."

"You want my advice? Tell him strait forward that you want to end your relationship." Arthur suggested. "If he doesn't leave you alone, I'll take care of him."

"That's fine." Said Ariadne. "He'll back off. He thinks he's so brave but really he's a chicken. Once he get's in trouble he get's on his knees. And my professors grandchildren and son-in-law have been missing for a while now."

"I'm sorry."

"I feel so bad for him. He's always focused and dedicated to his job but he's been doing worse. He might have depression problems."

"What's the name of your professor?" Arthur asked.

"Miles." Arthur recognized that name immediately. He knew the man from a while ago. That was, before he was cursed.

Ariadne left the house feeling much better about herself. Arthur was not a bad person despite his horrific appearance. For one, he saved her from brain trauma and another he listened to her problems.

Did Nash ever listen to her like that? He was never really good at advice giving and whenever she tried to talk about her problems, he'd change the subject.

It was time to let him go forever. Ariadne sat at the Parisian Café, waiting for Nash to come after he replied to her text.

"Hello hot stuff." He said sitting down.

Ariadne sighed. "I'm glad you're here."

"We'll I'm glad to see you. Did you make a decision yet?" he asked eagerly. Ariadne paused but then nodded.

"Yes, I did think it over." She told him. "And I'm going to say no."

Nash blinked in disbelief. "I must be dreaming if you're saying that."

"I mean it Nash." Ariadne closed her eyes. "The truth is, I've wanted to break up with you for a while now and this is very stressful for me. Miles's family is missing and all you care about is marrying me? I can't be with someone who doesn't care about serious issues." She sat up and put her laptop away.

"Baby…" he stood up. "Baby listen…"

"Don't you 'Baby' me!" she snapped back. "I am not your 'Baby' anymore so go find someone who has no brain in her head!" Like in the movies, she grabbed her hot espresso and swung it toward his face. With that, she was gone.

"Do you think she'll come back?" Arthur looked at the yellow cat on the table. "She came back before so she has to come again! We only have a month left before the hourglass stops!" Arthur paced around the room. "She's beautiful, there's no doubt about that, but why would she go for me? I know she broke up with her boyfriend, but she wouldn't want to get back into a relationship again."

The blonde cat starred at him in bewilderment. "Well I don't want to be a cat forever Arthur."

"I need to do more for her. What kind of flowers do you think she likes? Does she read, because I can give her the library. Maybe she likes to walk? The woods would be perfect."

"_Just do what you can to get her to love you."_

"I wish you could talk. How did you win Mal over?"

Cobb stretched his legs and yawned.

"_Sorry Arthur. Can't talk to you."_ Cobb jumped off the table and trotted out of the room.

A week passed by and Ariadne found herself excited to see Arthur. Unfortunately, it was time for her to continue working at the hotel. She called the front desk.

"Are you sure you want to quit?" the man asked.

"I'm very sure. Thanks." She hung up. Ariadne had enough money to keep the apartment for another six months. Arthur was expecting her company for a movie night. Ariadne figured he needed a laugh and gathered all her _Three Stooges_ DVD's.

Back at the chateau, Arthur was trying to fix up his hair. No matter what he did though, it just didn't look good enough. "Stupid wench." He cursed upon the woman who made him miserable.

"Rex!" Ariadne called. The ginger cat sitting on the toilet looked over.

"_Go get her Darling."_

Arthur escorted her to the old TV room. The screen was the same size as one used in a movie theater and the DVD player was a projector. "This is awesome. These people really had a lot of money."

"They sure did…" Arthur recalled the time that room was added to the house. "Well, it makes sence to be rich if you own boarding schools all over Europe."

"Their oldest son took over, right?"

That was Arthur's oldest sibling Lance, and he's been running the schools. He's made serious changes to the way the schools were ran. If his parents were still around, they would be unhappy with him. "Yes."

"Rex?"

"Yes?"

"What happened to Arthur Bishop?"

Arthur sighed. "I don't know. But let's not worry right now. We have some laughing to do."

"I think you'll like this movie a lot. _The Three Stooges_ always make me laugh."

"I've never watched them." He said, popping the DVD into the drive. The projector turned on and they started to watch season one. Arthur took out a blanket and put it over her. After he sat down, Arthur was surprised to feel her leaning into him.

As the first episode progressed, so did their laughs. Arthur usually never enjoyed such silly stunts but it was better than _Jackass_ at least. They watched several episodes without getting up.

At the seventh episode, Arthur felt something brush over his palm. He looked to see that Ariadne's hand enclosed with his. When she touched his skin, she didn't shutter or pull away.

"They always get in trouble, don't they?" After the last episode, Arthur looked over at Ariadne to see she was fast asleep, using his arm as a pillow. She looked like she hadn't slept in forever with all her school work keeping her busy. Thinking about the value of sleep to a student, he didn't want to wake her. But he didn't want to leave her to sleep in the movie theater.

Arthur slowly brought the arm she was leaning on around her shoulders. He looked to see if she would stir instantly after doing so. When she didn't, he placed his other arm under her knees bringing her off the cushion.

Ariadne still didn't make a sound as he stood up and walked out. Her head leaned on his shoulder as he proceeded to a bedroom.

When he got inside his room, Arthur placed her down on the bed and pulled the sheets over her. With her on the other side, he took the chance to run his fingers through her mahogany hair. He wondered if she would let him do that if she was awake.

He wanted more than anything to kiss her and tell her the truth. If he took off his mask to do so he would die. The real problem was whether or not a kiss was worth death.

In fear, he backed away to tone down the lights.

**This is for a contest at Deviantart and yes, there's another part. You can see all the pictures on my profile.**


	2. Act II

"This is excellent. So far, we got her." Said Eames. All the cats were gathered around Ariadne's sleeping body.

"You think she'll save us?" James asked. "I wanna eat people food."

"We can only pray on it." Said Cobb whose tail was around Phillipas body.

"She doesn't even know that there's a curse." Said Yusuf. "She doesn't know we're really humans. Why would she break a curse that she doesn't know about?"

"Arthur didn't tell her?" Cobb asked. "I told him to!"

"You're a cat Cobb." Eames reminded him. "All he hears are meows."

"Daddy?" Phillipa rubbed against her fathers paw. "Why are we cursed?"

Cobb looked into her small pleading eyes. "There are really bad people out there who don't like us, sweetie."

"Even if she knew, it's not as if she's going to help." Eames pointed out.

The surface below started moving as Ariadne returned to reality. She yawned without realizing first that she was moved to a different room. It was a good thing she wasn't allergic to cats because they were scattered around the bed. Her watch indicated that it was almost sunrise. She let out a huge yawn and stretched her arms to way the cats did.

"Rex?" she called out. "Rex?" Ariadne looked at the hourglass to see it was nine-tenths empty on the top. What did it mean and why was the sand falling so slowly? Or was the hourglass being flipped over? She tried to turn it over but it wouldn't move.

When she opened the door, rich piano music rang in her ears. A piece she was familiar with was pinging. The source was downstairs.

Ariadne made her way down and opened another door to a room she never went in. It was a music room. There were red plush couches around a grand piano. The instrument was recently dusted and shined.

Arthur was playing 'Clair de Lune' by memory. Ariadne proceeded forward and sat beside him on the bench. He continued to play until the song was finished.

"Is this what you do when I'm not around?" she asked.

Arthur was silent for moments giving Ariadne the idea to leave. "It's my escape."

"From misery?"

"From myself."

Ariadne sighed and breathed in. "Why are you so ashamed of yourself? Because you think people are afraid to look at you?"

"Only you would dare to come close to me."

"Those other people are not important." She lectured. "Fuck them."

The sudden twist of her tongue got his attention.

"The outside world is full of empty-headed people that will believe anything they hear and judge everything they see." Ariadne rambled. "What they think is useless!"

"What I think about myself isn't."

"Then don't treat yourself like this." She hissed. "You need to start respecting yourself. You are not the only person in the world who wants to hide. There are people with serious disorders and insecurities that wish they'd rather be dead but let me tell you something; if you give up, you're going to miss out on something big. If your life is depressing, do something about it that doesn't involve suicide and things will turn around!"

"I can't!" he insisted. "Look at me Ariadne! Look at my fucking face!"

Ariadne grabbed the sides of his head and looked right into his eyes.

"Look at me. Do I look scared?" Arthur remained silent through her question indicating to her that he was losing their debate. Those brown eyes had him lost. "Rex, do I look afraid?" She let go of him and stood up. "There was around ten years ago, a girl who loved surfing. Surfing was her passion, something she always wanted to do. But one day, she got attacked by a shark." Ariadne turned over to face him. "Her arm was bitten off."

Arthur remained silent through her story.

"She was taken to the hospital and was given a fake arm to wear. But she still wanted to surf. What do you think she did?"

"What does this do for me?" he asked. "She still went surfing I hope."

"Yes!" Ariadne exclaimed. "She went back in the water and surfed with one arm! And now she's still surfing with only one arm. It's because she didn't let that shark ruin her dreams! Rex, you shouldn't let that mask hide you."

"Were you once a psychology student?" he asked.

"Well if I wasn't an architect, I'd be studying psychology." she told him. "I'm only telling you what I know from real life. Just do me a favor. Stop hating yourself." Ariadne turned around to leave the room but forgot something. "I mean, the cats aren't afraid of you."

Arthur looked at himself in the mirror moments after Ariadne went home. He felt himself getting closer to her every time they were together. She did many nice things for him. He owed her for all her favors.

Yusuf walked around him.

"_So how did it go?"_ Yusuf wagged his bushy tail.

"What should I do Yusuf?" Arthur looked down at the fluffy feline. Yusuf jumped on the table coated in picture frames. He placed his grey paw on one picture and meowed at Arthur. "Be careful with that!" Arthur exclaimed. Yusuf jumped back in surprise, pushing the picture off the table. A few more frames fell out of place as the cat leaped off the table. Arthur caught the frame and dusted the glass in the front. "This is a very important picture." He pointed out. "Paws off, ok?"

"_Well meow."_

It was a childhood picture. Arthur's parents were in the back with his older brother Lance. His sisters Gwen and Morgana were sitting on the sand. Arthur looked at his six-year-old self in his sailor shirt giving a cheesy smile.

"That's it! I know what I'm going to do!"

* * *

Arthur was surprised to see Ariadne the next day in a dress. The moment she got out of the car, he looked at the vintage pink frock. He never imagined her wearing pink.

"Can you believe the weather?" she asked happily. "It's such a gorgeous day!"

Arthur put his hands in his pockets. "It's Sunday. I didn't know you felt that bad for me."

Ariadne chuckled. "I can't see you on Sundays?"

"No. You can." he stepped over to her. "I just never expected you too."

"Well here I am." she smiled at him. "Shall we walk?"

Moments later they were in the backyard of the mansion. As they explored the grounds, the only sounds were birds in the trees chirping.

"I would love to have a house with a forest in the back." She said looking onto the woods. "Have you ever been in there?"

Arthur looked onto the woodchip trail. "Not for a long time."

"I want to see."

Arthur did not refuse Ariadne's request. He gently pushed the small of her back forward. Ariadne looked around the environment, inhaling the scent of the woods. They were silent as they walked down the trail. A few minutes later, Arthur decided to strike a good conversation.

"I hope you don't mind me asking this." He excused himself in advance.

"Ask me anything." Said Ariadne carelessly. "I don't get mad easily."

"Has your ex been bothering you?"

Ariadne smirked. "No. His friends approach me at school and tell me he's miserable and that I should give him a second chance. Little did they know that he had a third chance." She turned to face a tree. Ariadne started picking at the loose pieces of bark.

"You don't deserve him."

"I don't deserve him?" Ariadne repeated. "I think it's 'He doesn't deserve me.'"

"That's not what I mean." Arthur came up from behind her. "You don't deserve him because you deserve better."

"So what's your idea of the right man?"

"For one…" Arthur began, putting his hand over hers. "When he carves a heart into a tree, he'll put your initials on top."

Ariadne looked over at their hands. She felt the warmness of Arthurs scarred fingers like fire on a cold winters day.

"Second." Arthur continued. He picked up some of the fabric on her dress. "He'll tell you everyday that you look gorgeous. He'll say 'I love that dress' to you."

"You really like it?" she asked shyly. "It was something I bought a long time ago for something but I never wore it."

"I never imagined you in a dress. It needs something though…"

"What?"

Arthur went over to the blossom tree. The spring flowers were sitting on the branches like little fairy's taking a nap. Ariadne noticed that Arthur didn't reach for one of the close ones. He climbed up the tree with his eyes on one particular blossom.

"Be careful Rex!" she warned. He came out with a blossom in his hand.

"A blossom this pure would look dead on every woman. Every woman except you."

Ariadne felt her cheeks turning hot as he tucked her hair behind her left ear and placed the blossom twig over it. To add to her dress and cheeks was a pink flower and that was the first time she ever wore so much pink in a decade.

"Your such a gentlemen, you know that?" she inquired.

"Well… yes, I am."

Ariadne chuckled. "I think you're the best gentleman I've ever known." Ariadne told him. "For one, you actually listen to me. They say chivalry is dead, but now I see that it's not."

"I'm sure there are other's just like me out there." He pointed out. "Gentlemen who don't have to wear masks to breathe."

"Well, none of them would carry me to bed if I fell asleep." Arthur froze. "That's something that women likes in a man."

"I just didn't want to wake you."

"And that's what most guys would do. Nash would never do that."

She never mentioned her ex's name before, but Arthur could now see him clearly in his mind. He knew a man named Nash. Nash was the reason why he was in such a mess!

"Rex?" Ariadne waved a hand in front of his eyes. "Hello?"

"I'm fine." He said. "Now, shall I take you back, with m'ladys permission?"

"Permission granted." She spoke like a lady from the Middle Ages.

Arthur put an arm around her waist and used the other one to pull her knees up. Ariadne smiled when she felt her feet leave the air. Her arms locked around his neck as he walked. She looked up at him without a hint of disgust.

"You've done so much for me already." He said. "I have to do something for you."

"What were you thinking about?"

"It's a surprise." He said. "Just bring your bathing suit."

"You're leaving the house?"

"Yes."

"Rex, I'm so proud of you!" she praised. "I thought you'd wait until Halloween to go out."

"I can't really wait that long."

Eames, Yusuf and Cobb were sitting next to each other looking through a window at the scene.

"Let me see!" James meowed, trying to climb between Yusuf and Cobb.

"Wait until your older, Darling." Said Eames. "Yusuf, your good at chemistry. What's going on down there?"

"Not that kind of chemistry." Yusuf hissed. "They look like friends to me."

"That's not good enough." Said Cobb. "Do you think he's going to take her to the beach?"

"Don't worry." Said Yusuf. "I already set his mind on it."

* * *

"Ariadne." Miles called his brightest student over to her desk. The other students including some of Nash's friends were leaving. "We need to have a chat."

"About?"

"This sketch you did." Miles unfolded the scroll and laid it out. "I told you to sketch the exact measurements of a real building. I'm looking at this and I see strong similarities to the Bishop Mansion."

"I didn't go in." she lied. "I just took a few pictures of the front. Besides, this is a different project from the one a couple weeks back."

"I told you very clearly not to go there." He said strictly. "Why would you deliberately disobey me?"

"It's not a bad place." She shook her head. "I was only there once."

"I just thank God your still here."

"So, why is it so dangerous? Are there rats or something? How do you know that it's a bad place?"

"Because I've been there." He told her, annoyed by her arguing. "I went inside myself to look for my grandchildren!"

"Why would they be there?" Ariadne shook her head.

"Because-" Miles stopped. "Just go home now."

"What won't you tell me?"

"Believe me, you won't find my story to be true. Just go."

Ariadne awkwardly stepped out of the classroom. She didn't need to know anything.

Miles knew the Monster.

* * *

"I'm so close Cobb I know it!" Arthur paced around the hourglass. "I'll I have to do is win her over."

"_Maybe you should just tell her the truth." _ Cobb looked over at Arthur. He started running circles around the coffee table holding the massive hourglass.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked alertly. "You realize if that falls and breaks then you'll be a cat forever and I'll die!"

Cobb stopped. Arthur wasn't getting it. The blonde cat had to think of something else. He walked over to one or Arthur's portraits. He stopped at the one of Arthur in the tuxedo and jumped in front of it, reaching out his claws for the frame.

"You want me to tell her the truth?" Arthur guessed. Cobb nodded. "I don't know Cobb… I'm afraid she'll leave me for lying."

"_If you don't then were surely doomed."_

The moment Ariadne's car pulled into the driveway, Arthur stepped out. He was wearing old striped swim trunks and a button up shirt much like hers. Looped in his arm was a big basket.

"Is that as casual as you get?" she teased, starting up the car.

"I haven't gone shopping in a while." He reminded her.

"Nothings changed, things just cost more." Said Ariadne. "So tell me where to go."

They drove for four hours. Arthur was nervous about the duration of the drive, wondering if the place he was taking her was worth the amount gas spent.

"Stop here." He instructed. Ariadne looked over to see the English Channel. It was an area that no one went to. But if they did, the place would be crowded on every hot day.

Giant rocks sat in the water like little castles. The sand was gleaming white and sparkled as it was hit by sunlight.

"Wow…" Ariadne looked forward, carrying the bag of snacks they had. "This is amazing."

"See that house over there?" Arthur pointed to a gigantic beach house down the way. "The Bishops lived there every summer."

"Lucky." Ariadne looked at the home that looked like an outhouse but was five times bigger. "It reminds me of home."

Arthur set the basket he was holding down on the sand. The contents inside included a small music player, a blanket and another item. During their stay at the beach, Ariadne spent plenty of time in the English Channel, letting the waves splash her button down shirt. Arthur could see her bathing suit through the fabric. They fooled around while attempting to build a sand castle. They ended up making Jabba the Hut. After that, Ariadne ran into the water like a playful child shouting, "C'mon!" He ended up lifting her in the water only to have both of them tipped over by a strong wave. Ariadne laughed when she landed on his chest.

She couldn't tell that he was worried.

As the sun began to set, Ariadne and Arthur were sitting on one of the rocks. Ariadne was leaning into his naked chest as they watched the sky go from blue to purple. Despite how beastly his body looked, Ariadne didn't mind.

"Is this anything like the sunset back home?" he asked.

"No. This one's so much more beautiful."

"Would you like to dance?"

"What?" Ariadne looked up at him surprised.

"I said would you like to dance?"

She couldn't dance. When she went to prom, she spent most of the time drinking punch and falling over her feet. If she tried to groove, something would go wrong.

"Only for you." She answered.

Arthur picked her up and bounded off the rock without complaining from slipperiness or sharpness. "I'll teach you." He spoke in belief. Arthur turned on the music player to hear Edith Piaf singing through the speakers.

"Edith Piaf. Nice choice." Ariadne complemented. Arthur brought her in his arms.

"We're not going to do a big dance. We're just going to sway."

"Alright. I can do that." She leaned against him as he oscillated from left to right. Ariadne felt a sense of extreme comfort since they were alone. It was impossible to believe that when they first met, she ran away from him. She ran away from the best man she's ever known. Ariadne was proud she went back. Not even God could pull them apart now.

Arthur stopped and the music shut off, making Ariadne a little worrisome.

"Rex?" Arthur was pacing. "Rex, what's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something." He said nervously. "Please sit down."

"What's going on?" Suddenly, she was more terrified than worried. Was he going to do something to her?

"Before I tell you, please say you'll forgive me." He begged. "Please!"

"Why? Forgive you for what?" her voice grew louder.

"Let me explain." He said. "My names not Rex."

"Then-"

"You want to know what happened to Arthur Bishop? I'm Arthur Bishop! I was cursed by a witch for Nash's misfortune and those cats aren't cats! Their men and children! Three of those cats are your professors family!"

"Wait… you mean to tell me that you've been put under some magic spell?"

"You have to believe me!" he said. "It sounds crazy and it is but Ariadne," Arthur put his hands on her shoulders. "I need help. You can stay mad at me forever but all I ask is for your help." The picnic basket opened up and Arthur brought out a picture of him and his family; the one of them on the beach. "That little lad is me. He was me."

"Who's this woman?" she asked. "Is she related to Nash?"

"She's his grandmother." He said.

"Ok, did she tell you how to break this curse?"

"I don't know." He said. "She didn't tell me."

"Oh my God Arthur, I wish you told me before!" Normally she wouldn't believe something so juvenile, but the man in front of her was someone she knew for what felt like a lifetime. He was sobbing before her like a criminal to a queen.

"I was afraid!" He cried.

"Afraid I might leave you? Why would I do that now?" She wasn't even asking him how specifically he got cursed. Ariadne didn't have time to hear a long story. She was already getting ready to leave. "I'm going to talk to him tomorrow."

"Ariadne, I think that's a bad idea."

"I can get his grandmother to take back the curse." She set. "I'll I have to do is sweet-talk Nash. Now get in the car."

The drive home was silent. Ariadne finally asked him how he got cursed and he replied that it was a long story.

"It's a long ride home. I have time."

He explained his occupation to her. Arthur would never tell anyone about his point man job but Ariadne was eligible to work that in that career. He said that he went into people's dreams to extract their thoughts for a living. He explained all the jobs and responsibilities that were involved. Nash was the architect, the builder of the dreams. Apparently, he messed up on a huge assignment and Arthur didn't do a thing as he was being dragged away by the company who hired them. Their relationship wasn't healthy enough to say, and Nash's grandmother wasn't so happy about it.

She was a Native American witch who had the power to see through her grandson's eyes and cast curses. The witch brainwashed the men who took him away to let him go. She then transported herself to where Arthur and the others were residing.

* * *

Cobb answered the door when she came and assumed her to be harmless, despite her white eyes and crescent moon scar. She asked, "Where is my grandson?" Arthur came down at that moment.

"Can I help you mam?"

"I'm not sure." She replied. "I don't think you'd want to after I do what I must do."

Arthur and Cobb glanced at each other in confusion.

"You didn't help my grandson when he was being dragged away by those men. Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"Arthur?"

"I swear I told no one."

"I see everything." She hissed. "I can control your life, and I should. All of you. Your children too!" she snapped at Cobb. "You merciless man, you have from now to a year before you die. You have that much time to figure out how to take back this curse. As for your friends," the witch turned to Cobb. "I hope you like tuna." She brought something from behind her cloak and threw it to the ground.

The mask.

"If you want to live to see next year, I advise you to put that on."

Arthur and Cobb looked at each other. Moments later, they burst into laughter. Arthur was more polite than that but found this crazy woman to be entertaining.

"I think you should go." Said Cobb.

"Gladly." She looked Arthur in the eyes. "Your quite a handsome man. Too bad that'll change."

They waited for her to leave before they started talking.

"How does she know were here?" Arthur asked. "What did she mean by her grandson?"

"I think that was Nash's grandma. But how did she find us?" Arthur didn't respond. "Arthur, what's wrong?" The point man hit the floor, wheezing for air. His face was turning blue. Cobb panicked for a moment before picking up the mask. He put it on Arthur and he started breathing again.

"I don't think she was joking anymore Cobb." His voice was now deeper, like evil. He looked down at his hands to see scars forming.

That's what Arthur remembered before passing out.

The night was restless. Ariadne was looking at the clock several times until morning. When it was ten, Ariadne zipped over to Nash's front door. Banging on the door, she prayed he was home. When the door opened, she saw Bernie in his pajamas.

"Well Bonjour Cherie." He purred. "Are you here to see me?"

"Where's Nash?" she pushed him aside and welcomed herself in. "Nash!"

"You want to get back with him so soon?" Bernie snickered.

"That's not why I'm here." She snapped. Nash stepped out looking like a homeless man with a beard coming out and a smelly wife-beater.

"Something I can do for you?" he asked unwillingly. "You've called several times last night."

"This may sound strange but I have to ask you something really important. You, leave." She told Bernie.

"I'm staying for this."

"Out!" she roared. Bernie nodded, picked up his jacket and left the apartment.

"What's with you?" Nash snapped.

"I need to see your grandmother!" she burst. "Where is she?"

"My grandma?" he asked. "Oh…" Nash started laughing. "I take it you met Arthur Bishop."

"Just tell me where she is!" Ariadne demanded. Nash smirked and grabbed her by the waist. She began to squirm as he brought his lips to her ear.

"Rotting in her grave." He whispered. "You're too late."

"Get your hands off me!"

"Why? Are you trying to help him? That's cute." He spat. "Let me guess; you've fallen in love with him. It's too bad he can't kiss you like I can." Nash pulled back her hair to bare her neck.

"Just take the curse back!" she pleaded. "Don't tell me you can't because if she can, so can you."

"You're a very smart girl." Nash praised. "You know how that turns me on."

"Nash listen…" she tried to stay calm and keep still. "Put a curse on me. Any curse. Just take back his. He's going to die for God's sake!"

"Good." Said Nash. "That's what I want."

"Listen to me!" she yelled. "Stop undressing me with your eyes and listen! Just take the curse back and put one on me!"

"Well I could take it back on a few conditions." His voice made her cringe.

"I'm not sleeping with you and I'm not marrying you." She interrupted.

"Well then maybe the three of us can negotiate." He suggested sarcastically. "Let's go over to his house." Nash's eyes were set forward on the coffee table in the living area. Ariadne grew wide-eyed as she looked over too. There was a handgun sitting by the ashtray.

Ariadne took action and instead of running forwards, bulged backwards. Nash hit his head on a picture on the wall. "You are not killing him!" she ran for the weapon. As she was close to grabbing it, Nash captured a fistful of her hair.

"He's going to die anyway." Nash laughed as he retrieved the .45 ACP. "Now get in the car or I won't hesitate to kill you first."

Nash drove his rusty truck down the road. Ariadne gave him no directions in hopes that he'd get lost. As he took each correct turn, she slowly felt her heart sinking faster than the _Titanic_. She had another hope that maybe Nash's old car would break down and they'd be too far off to walk but so far the vehicle showed no signs of dying.

"You'll forgive me later." He told her. "I know this guy. He'll put work before anything. Even you."

"You don't know him like I do." She growled.

"Ari, he's only acting like that so you'll feel bad for him."

Ariadne shook her head. "When I first met him, he chased me down the stairs. He said, 'Take a good look at me' and I did. I can see what others can't and I'm telling you he wasn't trying to win me over."

"Whatever." Nash grumbled. Ariadne's heart stopped as the Bishop Mansion came into view. "You be a good girl now until I finish the job." He picked up his handgun and prepared to leave the car.

"Wait!" he slammed the door. Ariadne heard a clicking sound. When she tried to exit the car, it wouldn't open. She banged on the glass with her wrists. "Nash, let me out of here! Please!" Nash turned to look at her but then proceeded to the castle.

Her cellphone! She remembered at that time that she had her phone. It was a good thing the battery was high. Ariadne dialed an emergency number.

"Miles, you have to help me!" Ariadne screamed. "I'm locked in a car and Nash is about to kill Arthur! I can't get out!"

"Arthur?"

"I know you told me to stay out of that house but it's a long story. I'll tell you later but please, I'm at the Bishop Mansion and we need help!"

"I'll be on my way."

"Hurry!" Ariadne snapped the phone shut and looked around for something, anything, to help her escape.

* * *

"Ariadne." Nash heard Arthur's raspy voice. That was the voice he loved to hear. It was the voice of his revenge.

"Surprise." Nash came into his sight. "Happy to see me?"

Arthur looked over at the hourglass on the table and set his hand behind his back.

"Why are you here Nash? Can't you wait for me to die?" Arthur sighed.

"Not after you stole my woman." Nash argued.

"I did not steal Ariadne from you." Arthur fought back. "She has no such feelings for me!"

"Liar!" Nash spat. "She she'd rather be you! That means you stole her! You really crossed the line this time!"

"Nash, when those men grabbed you and took you away, I couldn't do a thing about it. I would have if I could but at that moment… when Saito caught all of us… I wanted to help you."

"Save the lies for your grave. You've always hated me and you were glad when that happened."

"No Nash, I wasn't." Arthur insisted. "None of us were."

The sound of fizzing echoed through the room. The three adult cats stepped out of the shadows, their eyes glowing with hate.

"None of them, even Eames, disserve this." The ginger cat looked up at him and hissed.

"You son-of-a-bitches almost had me killed!"

"_Yeah, and your grandmum had to come save you." _Said Eames.

"I wish I could do something to make things better." Said Arthur sympathetically.

Nash took out his gun. "You can die."

"No!" Nash looked behind to see Ariadne running over to them.

"Ariadne, get out of here!" Arthur yelled.

"No." she replied like a bratty child. "I'm not leaving you."

"See what I mean?" Nash patted her on the head to get a bad reaction from her and looked over at Arthur. "She cares about no one now but you."

"I care about ending this." Nash was surprised to see Ariadne holding a berretta in her hands. "It's a good thing Arthur keeps all his guns in a closet.

"Take it easy now Ari."

"Do not call me Ari!" she snapped at her ex. "I told you a million times, my name is Ariadne! It's not hard to pronounce!"

Arthur looked over at Ariadne, her eyes pinpointed right onto Nash's chest. "Alright Ariadne. You don't want me to hurt you now, do you?"

"You won't get a chance." Her finger curled around the trigger.

"Ariadne, no!" As it pulled back, Arthur tackled her down to the ground like a football player. The bullet hit the ceiling rather than its desired target.

"What are you doing?" she yelled.

"He's not worth killing." Arthur told her.

"You're damn fucking right about that." A shot rang out and Arthur was down on the floor. Blood was oozing from his chest.

"No!" Ariadne screamed in terror as Arthur's breathing slowed down, the way she was hoping the truck would. "You son-of-a-bitch!" Ariadne had the berretta at his head now. "Get out of here or I swear to God I will kill you! Go!" Nash looked horrified, showing that if he made another move, he'd get a heart attack. He started panting.

"You want a curse so I'll give you one." He said. "You will have a nice life until you fall asleep for the remainder of it. No noise will wake you."

Ariadne looked down at Arthur with regret. As Nash set off, she bent down and sat beside him.

"I'm so sorry." Her emotions dominated her. "It's my fault." Ariadne shook her head. "I shouldn't have gone to his place. I'm such a terrible person!" She grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. "You are the most beautiful person I know and no one can't agree. Please don't leave me!"

"Ariadne…" the fingers laced with hers twitched. "I'm sorry…"

"Stay with me!" she begged. "Please, I love you too much!" Ariadne kissed his hand the way a lady would in the Tudor Ages. "I can never love anyone else the way I love you…" A tumor-like lump built up in her throat as her eyes pushed out tears of passion. She was on the floor next to him, sobbing her eyes out.

A blaring sound scratched through her ears. Ariadne looked up to see the hourglass on the floor, shards of glass and grains of sand everywhere.

"What is going on here?" She heard Miles voice.

"Your too late." She said looking down at Arthur. "He's dead." Miles bent down and looked at Arthur's body. "You knew about this all along, didn't you? You thought he would have killed me. You know your family is here."

"I should have told you." Miles confessed. "I'm sorry Ariadne but we can't help him now."

"I don't think so, Darling." A British accent chimed in. Ariadne spun around and starred at him in shock.

"Who are you?"

"Well, we met before but I was much smaller. Remember that gorgeous ginger cat?"

"That was you?"

"And how could you not know me?" an American accent asked. A man with blonde hair stepped in.

"Dom!" Miles exclaimed. "You had me so worried sick, what happened? Why did I see that fool run out of here?"

"Why are you guys so cheerful?" Ariadne growled. "Can't you see that he's dead?"

"Now if he was dead, we would be too." Yusuf appeared in his human form. "He should be getting up soon."

Ariadne was waiting along with everyone else. Waiting for Arthur to wake up. It was like waiting for an egg to hatch; much faster in movies but very slow in reality.

"If the curse is broken… then I can do this…" Ariadne reached for Arthurs mask and unlatched it. For the first time, she got to see his face in person as the shadow that distressed him was thrown aside. His eyes opened as he started to breathe again. Ariadne sighed with relief as Arthur stood up.

The mask was off and all the hideous scars he had before were erased like magic. Ariadne didn't know what to do or say when he smiled at her for the first time. The sight of his lips and teeth combined into a smile made her heart rise back up to melt.

He didn't care if there were other people in the room. Arthur stationed his hands on her cheeks, wiping away any surviving tears.

"There's no need to be upset anymore." He assured with his transparent voice. "The man within the monster has been freed."

"I didn't think this would happen…" she gasped. "But oh my God, it's really you!"

A second later, their lips were together and their eyes were shut. Ariadne's hands crawled up to his chest. They stayed that way, one trying to kiss more passionately than the other. They didn't even stop when Eames made up an obnoxious comment.

"Does this mean we can't cuddle anymore?"

What lifted the curse? That was something they had to figure out. Was it because Ariadne proclaimed her love, or something else? And what about Nash? Did he really cast a curse upon her?

Miles was reunited with his grandchildren who admit that they miss being cats. Yusuf was introduced to Ariadne's younger sister Jenaya and he's studying a different kind of chemistry. Eames was back out in public making a living around his dream-sharing job as a comedian. Cobb was finally able to raise his children again.

Arthur and Ariadne dated for six months before deciding to tie the knot. At the reception, the band played 'Beauty and the Beast' as their wedding song. Since the curse died, Ariadne always referred to Arthur as a 'sexy beast'.


End file.
